Blackout
by Hypnotized.By.Golden.Eyes
Summary: One-by-one the Cullens are mysteriously blacking out, until only a couple remain unharmed. With the help of whoever they can find still awake, the remaining Cullens must discover the cause and the cure before everyone they know and love suffers the same fate. / Cullen family-centric / Post-BD / Canon world
1. Preface

**.:Blackout:.**

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.:Preface:.

Jasper was the first to hear it. A snap, a couple miles north, then east of where he was standing. Emmett was the second to hear the clicking thuds of their fleeing prey. He was farther from their intended meal than Jasper, but not as far back as Alice. Alice was the third to hear it, but the first to _see_. She was fed the future in vivid clarity and her vision had already pushed her. She was running. Jasper and Emmett began to move, too. But only one could win this race.

In the end, it was close; so close, in fact, that Jasper had snarled instinctivley at Emmett, when Emmett had done the same to Alice for claiming the prize elk just moments before he did. Once the human sides of their personalities overran the predator instincts enough for them to realize who they were with and the game they were playing, Jasper and Emmett took off after the remaining, smaller does.

Alice had won the game, snatching the biggest for herself. It was something she constantly managed to do with her sixth sense (a reasonable excuse for why Emmett never liked competing against her). But just as Jasper closed in on the second largest, Emmett thought fast, redirected his position, and lunged with all his might. Jasper lost his chance at second place; he would now have to settle with third and last, and the tiniest meal. At least, for this round.

This was a game the Cullen siblings liked to play once in a while, when activities became repetitive, and mealtime became more of an irritating necessity than it already was. Usually it was played without Alice, though, for her future sight was more of an advantage than the others preferred to tolerate. Today, though, Emmett and Jasper were kind enough to include her. She promised to go easy on them. She didn't. And knowing their forgiveness was soon coming, she was unashamed. Yet, it was all in good fun, they knew. They enjoyed it.

While Alice and Emmett were in the middle of devouring their meals, Jasper finally caught up to his. He sprang at it just before it made a desperate attempt to cross a paved road. Jasper was not startled from seeing the street until after he had consumed half of the blood from the now animal corpse in his hands. When his brain triggered the realization that he shouldn't have been hunting this close to human inhabitants, it was already too late. He heard the chugging of an old motor; spinning rubber against concrete; a faint country voice singing about their love for that special someone, and something (either a foot or a finger) tapping to the music; and the beating of the driver's heart.

Jasper did not hold his breath.

Jasper did not run in the opposite direction of the incoming vehicle.

Jasper did not have time to register what was happening or what he was going to do. Something he was hearing was odd, almost unnoticeable, and for a millisecond he was aware of it. But a millisecond would not help him. The world changed around him too quickly; trees twisted together, the world blurred, his body numbed, and suddenly everything went black.

A mile away, Alice screamed.


	2. Blackout

**Hello, my fellow Twilight fanfic readers. Here's the first chapter of Blackout (obviously). I hope you'll enjoy this story. And review (because that's always encouraging)! :]**

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**.:CHAPTER 1:.**

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**~Edward's POV~**

It had been a week, I realized, going through my mental calendar. It was a Sunday evening when it happened, and it was Sunday again. We spent seven days wondering; one hundred and sixty eight hours spent waiting; ten thousand and eighty minutes of wasted time, in counting. Nothing was different.

"Is there any change?"

Carlisle joined me by the doorway of Alice and Jasper's bedroom.

"What do you think?" I responded. He asked the same question every day, and every day I would give him the same answer. Why did he even bother to hope anymore?

_Still no change,_ Carlisle thought, frowning. _Why? What has happened to him?_

That was the question on everyone's mind. A constant nagging question that mystified us, as well as terrified us. To vampires, to immortals, things like "passing out" did not happen.

Until now.

A week ago, Jasper, Emmett, and Alice had gone hunting together. It was an ordinary Sunday — cloudy, quiet, soothing. My siblings had left around 2 o'clock in the afternoon. They were bored and were planning to make things interesting with a little race. I had seen exactly who was going to win, thanks to Alice. Of course, she promised to go easy on them, but they should have known she was a sneaky little liar when it came to games. Unless you could read her mind, as I could, you could never trust Alice when she wanted to win. And she always wanted to win.

However, things did not go as predicted in the aftermath of their friendly competition.

It was near sunset when they returned. I was in the middle of a piano duet with Renesmee when I caught Alice's panic emanating from her thoughts. It caught my attention immediately. There was no way I could have ignored it. I tuned fully into her mind, reading her memories.

A vision hit her as she was finishing her meal. It was of Jasper. There was something wrong with him; or at least, there would be. Alice had abandoned the carcass she devoured without burying it and ran, screaming for her husband. She was bombarded, in various moments, with flickers of images. Jasper's future was there, but the man was not. Not mentally.

When Alice had finally reached her mate, he was...unconscious. More than that. To a human's eyes he could have been dead. Alice had screamed even louder.

That was when Emmett caught up to her, ready for some sort of a fight. In Emmett's mind, I saw that, returning home, he didn't know any more than Alice did about what happened to Jasper. One minute he was out hunting with his brother and sister, throwing punches and insults, all in good fun; then the next minute Alice was screaming and Jasper was laying face down in his food, not breathing, not moving. Of course there were only two reasons why a vampire breathes, and neither is because they need to, but Jasper's stillness had an eerie feel to it, from Emmett's perspective. To him, something was extremely wrong.

All attempts to wake Jasper had been ineffective, so Emmett had thrown Jasper over his shoulder and followed a "freaked out" Alice home. When they had come into view of the house, Alice had wailed, "Carlisle!" Her desperation in that moment was apparent to all who heard her.

Carlisle had left his study and opened the front door in less than a second. I had told Renesmee to stay where she was as I joined my father, but of course my daughter was a curious, stubborn young girl and followed me regardless of my words. Just as Carlisle opened the door, Alice and Emmett were ascending the porch steps. Our father's eyes had widened with concern when he noticed his third son's limp body slung over Emmett's shoulder. Alice hadn't even given him time to question anything before she dove into what had happened. In the meantime, I had suggested Emmett carefully lay Jasper on the couch in the living room.

Hearing all of this from the greenhouse, Esme, Bella, and Rosalie began to set down their tools and clean off their hands; by the time they entered the room, Alice had been finishing her tale.

"...and he's not waking up. He's not doing anything! I don't know what could be wrong with him." Alice had gripped both sides of her head, fingers pushing against her temple. Her visions were not helping her, and she had been getting frustrated. Afraid.

Carlisle had crouched beside Jasper and had tried to reach him through conversation, through touch, but Jasper did truly appear gone.

That was about the time everyone looked at me. I had expected it. Jasper might not have been moving or breathing or indicating in any way that he was alive, but his mind was plenty awake.

Sort of.

"Jasper's thoughts are there," I had assured everyone, clearly meaning he wasn't somehow dead. "But he is... His thoughts are in the past."

"In the past?" Bella had questioned.

"He can't hear us right now. He's not with us. He's reliving a moment from his past. Really living it. Every feeling, every thought, everything. It's like he's stuck in some illusion."

"What?" Alice had demanded. "There has to be a way to snap him out of it."

I had given her a look. Obviously, we all wanted that, but I knew whatever we needed to do, none of us could possibly know.

It had been a long night, that night. Every one of us had tried to break through whatever spell had Jasper captive in his own mind, but there hadn't been even a sliver of hope that any of it worked. Even Renesmee had attempted to push her thoughts into his head to dispel the images he was seeing, but it, like everything else, had been unsuccessful.

With a full week now past us, and with the luck my family and I seemed to carry when misfortune found us, I felt things were not about to get easier.

As if sensing my cynicism, I caught Alice's urge to check on Jasper (in person, rather than through visions alone) strengthen. She'd only been away from him for an hour and six minutes, but I supposed I couldn't hold it against her for feeling too separated from her mate already. She set down her iPad, still open to her tabs of vampire lore, and headed for the stairs.

Meanwhile, Carlisle's perplexed thoughts were intensifying with his worry. His eyes were on Jasper, who hadn't moved from his and Alice's bed since the day we placed him there.

_How much longer can this go on?_ Carlisle was thinking. _The body of a vampire is not apt to shut down like a human's, let alone the illusions of memories generating in Jasper's head. What strange trick is this? There are no myths about this kind of thing. No facts, no evidence that this could have happened to any of our kind before. Even the mystery behind Bella's pregnancy had all types of legends and folklore to back up the reality we were facing. Edward, I hate to believe this, but the situation is bound to get worse before it starts getting better. _

"I don't disagree with you," I responded.

Carlisle sighed. "Honestly, I was hoping you did."

"Edward?"

"Alice."

My sister grabbed my arm as she peeked into the bedroom.

"Where is he now?" She asked this about Jasper, about where his mind was taking him, just as much as Carlisle questioned the lack of changes in his condition.

"Albuquerque, New Mexico. Maria sent him...recruiting." I grimaced, as did Carlisle.

Alice sighed miserably and perched herself on the edge of the bed, placing her hand against Jasper's cheek. Out of all the memories Jasper had gone through, his time in the south was least appreciated. Jasper himself didn't realize anything was wrong with what he was "living" through, but I hoped it didn't depress him when he woke up, if he remembered his flashbacks at all after this.

"We'll get you out of this, Jazz," Alice whispered. "No matter the cost."

There was an ache in my chest watching her. Her sadness was infectious. I missed my sister's smiles and laughter and annoying non-stop chatter and the sudden arrival of new clothes in my closet that I hadn't placed there — they were things that made her Alice; they were things that have not happened in days. Even her natural optimism was wavering.

"Maybe we should have a family meeting," Carlisle suggested, already heading downstairs to round everybody up. "We need to develop a more substantial plan for unearthing the answers we seek."

I opened my mouth to agree, when Emmett's loud voice boomed from across the property.

"Good idea, Carlisle! I have something to say."

I gave Alice a look, thinking, _Doesn't he always?_ Though it didn't reach her eyes, Alice actually smiled. Then she shrugged lightly, kissed Jasper, and walked with me to the dining room.

It took only seconds for the whole family — minus the one we were having this family discussion about — to find their seats around the large, oval, mahogany table. With Alice occupying one side of me, Bella took her spot on the other. Renesmee sat across from us, next to Rosalie and Esme, who were sitting by their respective partners, with Carlisle at the head. Carlisle then addressed the issue, calm and forthright, expressing how urgently a solution was needed, not that he expected anyone was neglecting the problem when the life of one of our own was at stake. The thoughts circling the table were filled with worry and focused on what Carlisle was asking — to put our minds and ideas together, to come up with something we haven't thought of yet, no matter how outrageous it might end up sounding. Their thoughts were all I could hear when Carlisle finished what he was saying.

_There has to be something out there we have yet to think of_, Rosalie was thinking._ If I could just figure it out..._

_Carlisle's calm is slipping a bit, isn't it? _Esme had noticed. _I have a bad feeling we're running out of time..._

_I promised Jasper I would wake him up! So...come on, future, show me something helpful. _Alice began forcing visions. I watched with her, and both our hopes were being let down. According to Alice's visions, if things continued going the way they were, Jasper would still be unconscious weeks from now. We could not afford that. I wondered if whatever he was under strengthened over time. If it did, Esme's feeling was spot on.

_Daddy, are you sure this has never happened before, ever?_ Renesmee thought directly at me. I nodded once.

"Can I say say something now?" Emmett asked, raising his hand as if we were in a classroom.

"Of course, Emmett," Carlisle said.

"Let me just warn you that it's not that great. Now, you know how we were debating whether it was some vampire — because, really, what else could it be? — who had messed with Jasper's head? Well, I searched the area around where we were hunting again today, but—"

"Alone, Emmett?" Esme sighed. She had made a rule this week about nobody leaving this house without a partner. She was nervous of what could happen out there to us if it actually was a vampire who had attacked Jasper.

"Nothing was going to happen to him," Alice interjected. "I was watching."

"_But_," Emmett continued hastily, "there is seriously nobody out there. No vampires, no humans, nothing. Unless a vampire just showed up, did something to Jazz, and then skipped off into the sunset, never planning to return, there is no evidence there was anybody out there to begin with."

"I could have told you that days ago," I said.

"Well, you didn't, so shut it," Rosalie remarked, rubbing my nerves the wrong way.

"At least I've been doing _something_. How do you spend your days, Rosalie?"

Esme held up her palms between us before Rosalie could say her excuse out loud, which was too bad, as it was a pretty sad one.

"Do not start. Either of you."

"Please," Renesmee added softly, staring harder at me than the other culprit. I supposed it was an aunt's privilege to get softer treatment than the father, but it hardly meant I had to like it. Renesmee hated when Rosalie and I argued. She couldn't understand why getting along was so hard for the two of us, not realizing it had never been easy between Rosalie and me.

"We've tried every angle," Bella said, bringing the topic back to what really mattered. "What else is left aside from a vampire's talent? A magic spell cast by a little old lady who lives in a shoe?"

"Oh yeah, now we're getting somewhere," Emmett joked, though not really finding it as funny as he might have if he wasn't so bummed out about Jasper.

Carlisle began thinking out loud. "I could make some phone calls. Perhaps those who have been around longer than I have might have seen something like this before."

Even as he said it, nobody was betting on it.

Alice exhaled sharply and bowed her head. Reading where her mind was, I knew there was nothing I could say to make her stay down here with us, so I didn't bother to try. Alice stood up without a word, then sprinted back upstairs, to Jasper. "I need time to think," she said, just before her bedroom door clicked softly shut.

"Because the last seven days wasn't long enough?" Rosalie quietly muttered. I held back what I wanted to say to that, because I didn't want to upset my mother or my daughter, but it amazed me how ignorant one must be to act to tactlessly. Granted, Rosalie wasn't...trying to be rude — she was gifted with it at birth, apparently.

Rosalie eyed me, knowing me long enough to sense when I had something to say. Sometimes it seemed like she could read the minds around here, at least when they were thinking about her.

The discussion of what to do continued without Alice. Unfortunately, it wasn't a productive meeting. What was left that we hadn't already tried, besides speaking with others of our kind?

When the conversation died out, and it was clear nobody had anything more to add to the discussion for now, Rosalie was the first to head off to do her own thing. She folded her arms and walked into the living room, taking Alice's spot on the sofa. She crossed her legs, then picked up the iPad that was left on the coffee table and resumed whatever search Alice had been in the middle of.

At least she was putting herself to some use.

Carlisle accepted it was time to stop talking and begin doing, and went up to his study to search his contacts. Esme and Renesmee followed him, curious. It was a long shot, but hopefully he discovered _something_. We needed anything at this point.

Only seconds later, Emmett slapped his hands against the table and pushed himself up, giving me and Bella a look that told us he was already tired of this, and then he wandered off, unsure of what to do next.

Bella and I were the only two left at the table. Neither of us moved for some time, lost in our own thoughts, I presumed. I knew I was; I could never be sure about her.

"Poor Alice," Bella said after a minute had gone by.

"Poor Jasper," I said. "I don't know if we can bring him out of it or if it will wear off on its own... Whatever _it_ is."

Bella rested her head on my shoulder. "It seems hopeless, doesn't it?"

"Don't say that." I turned to her, and made the mistake of looking directly in her eyes. For a second, I forgot what I was going to say, for I was mesmerized. Her eyes had always been beautiful, even when they were a newborn's blood red, but now that they had turned to gold, they sparkled like they never had before. She swept me off the axis of comprehension with those eyes more times than I would ever admit to anybody. A part of me was aware that this could be what she meant about me "dazzling" women with merely my gaze?

Bella blinked curiously when I didn't go on with what I was saying. I shook my head slightly, as to not bring the power she held over me to her attention, for surely she would use that against me sometime, and I repeated that she shouldn't be entertaining thoughts of pessimism.

"That's usually my area of expertise, remember?" I added, attempting to make light of the situation.

"Well, we know it's not a mind trick caused by another vampire, because my shield doesn't help him, and Emmett insists nobody could have possibly been near Jasper at the time of the hunt. Renesmee's gift can penetrate through anything, reach anyone, yet Jasper doesn't hear her. He can't hear us when we talk to him, he doesn't move, his senses are completely disabled or something. We don't feel his emotions transferring from him to us, even though you've told us he's manipulating feelings in his memories. Emmett and you have searched practically the entire state of Maine looking for clues of...anything, and we've scoured the internet and the library for any hints at all, and still we're left with absolutely nothing. When I say it seems hopeless, I'm just being realistic."

She paused. The silence was heavy. What she said was right, and it hurt to accept that. It meant all our efforts, like I had been thinking not even an hour earlier, had been futile.

"Do you think..." Bella trailed off. She bit her lip, a habit she had as a human that she picked back up after her newborn years. Because of that damn habit, I had to resist the urge to kiss her, if only so I could hear what was on her mind.

"Do you think it could happen again?" she asked quickly.

"That's not a pleasant thought," I murmured.

"But it could, couldn't it?"

"We can't know for sure."

"I think it could..." She looked me dead in the eyes. "I think it will."

"Bella," I pleaded. Imagining someone else being found face first in animal blood, paralyzed and unresponsive, was not the type of motivation we needed.

"I mean," my wife continued, persistent, "if we can't find out how Jasper got that way, whose to say we won't make the same mistake he did? What was he doing out there when he suddenly lost consciousness, anyway?"

"Feeding," I said automatically, though I knew that wasn't what she had meant. I was going to add a quip that might end her theory talks, but I paused.

_Feeding..._

Bella gasped. "The food. Was it in the food? Something in the animals? Alice and Emmett said he was only halfway through with the deer he had caught, so maybe..."

"It was in the blood," I finished.

"Is it possible?" Bella wondered.

"Love, just a few days ago, none of what we have encountered could have been defined as 'possible'. It's an idea, and it won't hurt to check up on it. Carlisle?"

Everyone in the house had been paying attention to Bella's theory. When I called him, Carlisle, Esme, and Renesmee came back to join us.

"It is an interesting presumption," Carlisle said. "I will need a blood sample of a few animals inhabiting these woods. If there are any irregularities at all, it could be our first lead."

"You don't have all your equipment here," Renesmee said. "Will you go to the university?"

Carlisle had taken up a teaching job at the university here in Maine, the state that had been our home for a little over a year now. It was mid-august, so the Fall classes weren't in session yet. But Carlisle still had access to the equipment.

"The lab at the university will be fine," Carlisle responded. "It should be a fairly quick process. Will you join me, Edward?"

"Of course."

"Do you mind if I come along?"

"I would love if you accompanied us, Esme," Carlisle assured, amused that she would even bother asking. Sometimes, I knew, Esme would be overly polite simply because she knew it made Carlisle laugh. "Give me a moment to grab what we need." Carlisle disappeared upstairs.

"Oh, I was just about to start Renesmee's dinner," Esme remembered.

"I can make—"

"I'll make her dinner," Bella assured. "No problem at all."

Renesmee huffed. "I can make my own dinner."

"No, no. I'll make it, sweetie." Renesmee had no choice in the matter, and she knew it. Bella wished me, Carlisle, and Esme luck, then pecked me on the lips before heading into the kitchen.

Once her mother was out of sight, Renesmee pouted in my direction, frustrated, knowing her thoughts were mine to be heard anyway.

_I can make my own dinner. I _want_ to make my own food for once._

I smiled at her independent nature. "Sometimes it doesn't matter what you want. Sometimes you just have to give in to other people, because it's the right thing to do. Let her do something for you — she likes it."

"No," she said, just to be stubborn. I gave her an amused look, which in turn granted me a famous Renesmee Cullen eye roll.

Ah, the genes she inherited.

Esme gave me a look; she was thinking the exact same thing...and, as the grandmother, she was reveling in it.

"We'll be back soon," I promised Renesmee, kissing her on the cheek.

Esme and I met Carlisle by the front door, and then we were gone.

OoOoOoO

The white floors, white walls, and white lights of the lab room were somewhat blinding when they were all there was to look at. I kept my eyes on the clock that was hanging in the back of the room. I watched the thin black hands tick their way around the face of the clock, pointing at one number and then the next. Time never moved faster when you stared it in the face (pun fully intended), but a part of me was getting anxious for the results of the animal blood we had acquired.

"This took a little longer than expected," Carlisle said, pressing buttons on the machine in front of him.

Esme agreed with his statement. "The others are most likely getting impatient back home. I imagine the hope that we'll finally have something to work off of is taking its toll on them. I know I would want to know the results immediately."

"Which is why you offered to come with us, I take it," Carlisle teased lightly.

Esme smiled and gave Carlisle a small push. He caught her hand, and pulled her closer to him. Closer than he was intending, so when Esme looked up, their faces were inches apart, catching them both off guard. Immediately, I let out a loud, emphasized sigh. Things would be escalating quickly if I didn't hurry and step in to remind my loving parents of my presence.

"Please," I said, when they turned simultaneously to look at me, "don't start anything if you can't handle the side effects."

They smiled, a little too brightly. The thought of what side effects I might be implying gave them too many ideas. For a moment, I was a bit stunned; they usually tried to be more reserved than this in front of me, their imaginations especially. Huh. Actually, I didn't think they have had a moment together, just the two of them, for _any_ amount of time since Jasper's incident.

Carlisle's eyes went to Esme's lips, and that was the only sign I needed. I stood, throwing my hands up.

"I give up. I'll wait in the car." I headed for the door.

"Thank you, Edward," they said together, not bothering to look at me. At the same time, they both silently apologized to me as I left. I almost laughed at how closely the two thought.

As much as I detested having to experience their intimate moments with them, through imagination or memory, I was used to it, and I could never hold it against them. I was mated now myself — I finally understood firsthand that uncontrollable need to be with your partner.

The halls were empty at this hour. On a Sunday, no less. I took the stairs down to the first floor, and just as my foot hit the last step, my pocket buzzed. The vibration of my cell phone seemed louder in the silence. Checking the caller's ID, I saw it was Emmett. Maybe they _were_ losing patience back home.

I accepted the call and put the phone to my ear. "We're finishing up here, Emmett. If you keep calling, it will take longer." That was a small lie, of course, as I was no longer working in the lab, but I didn't need him calling me every five minutes, something I wouldn't put it past him to do, if for no other reason than to get on my nerves.

"Uh, bro, we have a bigger problem than that."

By his serious tone, I was instantly wary. Emmett was hardly ever that serious.

"What problem?" I asked.

"Please try not to flip out, but...we have another...blackout."

I stopped walking.

"What are you talking about? Did someone else..."

"Yeah. Someone else."

Dammit.

"Who?"

There was silence on the other line, and then:

"Bella."


	3. All Possibilities

**Thank you for the kind reviews. They are always appreciated. ^-^**

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**.:CHAPTER 2:.**

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**~Alice's POV~**

Staring out the window of my bedroom, at the line of greenery encircling the house, I realized that the idea of the animal blood Jasper consumed being the cause of his lasting condition was far fetched. If it had been in the doe — why only that one? Emmett or I would have been infected, too, wouldn't we? And we had made a choice on the deer we wanted — wouldn't I have seen _something_ before it was too late? If it was in the animal, and we had made the choice to feed on that animal, I would have been warned it was the wrong choice. Something like that didn't seem spontaneous enough for me to miss. My vision of Jasper had been last minute; I practically saw it as it was happening. And the choices that triggered those visions were Jasper's; he had been trying to run, to cry for help, and he couldn't, and I saw that. Then I saw him collapse. Bella's idea about the animal being the source of the problem had been a decent suggestion, but really thinking about it, I knew it couldn't be the answer we were looking for.

I looked over my shoulder, at Jasper. The room was dark now, along with the sky. Jasper's pale skin stood out against the deep purple sheets.

I had never seen him asleep before. Sleeping wasn't a necessity for vampires. We couldn't manage it even if we wanted to. This was the closest Jazz would ever get, and a part of me was intrigued. Jasper's face was so smooth, relaxed. I'd seen him angry before; I'd seen him sad; I'd seen him happy; I'd seen him smug, and afraid, and even tired. Yet I'd never seen him quite like this. It was impossible for me to even describe.

Walking closer, I ran the tips of my fingers down his face, from his hairline to the scars on his jaw. A wave of sorrow washed through my body, drowning me. To say I missed his company would be a harsh understatement.

Despite how he appeared, lying here, not a single crease across his brow or curve along his lip, I knew there was nothing quiet and peaceful about the memories he was vividly remembering. It was unfair.

And I felt...something else about it. Something ominous.

Bella started mincing vegetables downstairs. I figured I'd leave her to her task and go see what the others were up to. The last I heard of Rosalie, Emmett, and Nessie, they had gone to the garage. From what my visions of them were showing me now, they were drawing up some sort of plan. Interesting. It could actually prove helpful. Or my wishful thinking was creeping in.

Our garage was located a quarter mile east from the house, for Rosalie's sake. The garage had always been Rosalie's retreat, and when we moved to Forks she had appreciated it being so separate from the main house. So, of course, Esme found a place out here with a similar concept.

With every step I took to get there, my feet seemed to drag more. It had a lot to do with Jasper's condition. It also had something to do about this feeling throughout me. Call it a hunch or intuition. Something about this whole situation felt — not odd, though it certainly was that — but big. Like Jasper was only the first of many. Like this strange unconsciousness would seek more victims. Like the world would soon feel its wrath to a much higher degree.

Soon, I was close enough to hear their voices, and rounding the slight curve, I was in view of the garage, both doors lifted open to reveal the row of shining cars in various colors. Nessie was standing in Emmett's jeep, only the upper part of her body visible, sticking out from the top. Rosalie was sitting cross-legged on the jeep's hood, a clipboard being cradled in one arm, and her free hand held out toward Emmett, who was just grabbing a pen from the counter along the back wall. He handed Rosalie the writing utensil, then crossed his arms and leaned against Edward's Volvo, facing his wife and niece. Rosalie began scribbling immediately.

"Here is what we are going to do," Rosalie announced, her hand moving across the paper in a blur of motion. "We are going to brainstorm every idea imaginable. Then we are going to come up with a solid plan to test these theories until they are proven to be wrong. Sooner or later, the right answer has to come to us. When it does..."

"We'll be one step closer to waking Uncle Jasper."

"Exactly. Now, I have what we know so far..."

"You should add Bella's magic spells and witches scenario."

Rosalie paused, peered up at her husband without moving her head. "Are you kidding me?" He didn't answer her. Rosalie looked at him fully now. "She was being _sarcastic_. Do you honestly believe there is some old witch out there putting vampires to sleep?"

"Why does the witch have to be old?" Rosalie gave her husband a hard look. "Okay, okay. But can we really rule witches out, just because we've never seen them? I'm asking you to open your mind a little on this one, babe. I think we're limiting our possibilities."

"And magic voodoo is your immediate alternative?"

"Well, when you call it magic voodoo it sounds ridiculous."

Nessie giggled, but Rosalie wasn't as amused.

"Em, you need to take it easy on whatever fantasy or sci-fi you've been reading or watching lately."

"But that's what he's talking about, Aunt Rose. All these made up stories that have potential to be real. Something new could be happening here. Something that's never happened before. Things change, evolve, even for us, right? We should stop relying on factual evidence and start laying out possibilities."

"Don't tell me you're falling for this."

Nessie shifted. "Actually, it was my idea from the beginning."

"Yeah. I'm the one who fell for it," Emmett said. "Besides, the kid makes sense."

"It is an angle we haven't done yet, Rose," I joined in, stepping into the garage.

"You too, Alice?" I shrugged. Rosalie took a moment to think about it. "Fine. Say something...otherworldly _is_ happening here. What do you three propose we do to stop it?"

"First we have to find out what's happening," Nessie responded.

"What are your ideas?"

"Brainwashed?" Emmett suggested.

Nessie bounced on her toes. "Binding spell."

"A cast illusion."

"Sleep-paralysis."

"Technological manipulation."

"Abnormal gas in the air."

"And we still shouldn't overlook witches."

There was a beat of silence before Rosalie groaned. "I shouldn't have even indulged in your wild speculations."

"Sleep-paralysis is a common thing, you know?"

"Not among vampires, Ness — we don't sleep. As much as I adore your imagination, I can't see any of this connecting with Jasper."

"There's still Edward and Bella's idea about the animal blood," Emmett said. "If it ends up being true, what was put in the blood and how did it get there?"

"And how is that any different than some supernatural, fantasy, sci-fi trick?" Nessie added. "It could be just that — some trick we would never see coming."

"You act like this was some plot pit against us."

Nessie's voice quieted. "We do have vampires who want us gone."

Rosalie shook her head. "The Volturi have the power to do what they want without a sneak attack like this."

"Not with me," I countered. "And not if they wanted to protect their reputation. Getting rid of us as quietly as possible without a way to connect them to what's happening would be the perfect cover. Anyway, I would have seen if Aro or Caius were planning this."

"Unless they entrusted our fate to someone else. Someone we don't know, and you're not looking for," Emmett said.

Rosalie tapped the tip of the pen against the clipboard. Her eyes scanned what she had written, then over the faces of everyone in the room. She was debating whether to actually write all their ideas down, no matter how absurd she thought they were.

"Just add them, Rose," I said. "You never know."

My sister said something under her breath. But at least she started writing them in.

If I thought the blood idea was far fetched, what did that make all of these? Maybe I was just desperate.

"Speaking of the food source theory, I—"

Suddenly, the room faded out, replaced by another. I was back at the house. In the kitchen. And what I saw next startled me. I sucked in a breath, and the sharpness of my gasp brought me back to the present. It was too late. I just knew it was too late to thwart the future I had seen. The warning was on my tongue, but I knew it was already happening. Just like before.

"No..." My head swirled, my body pointing in the direction of the house. I began to run. "Not again. Not now."

It only took seconds. The house came into sight, there was a lack of sound from inside it. I skipped the slight curve the bricked pathway made and ran straight through the few trees that remained between me and what I wanted to see. When I saw, I stopped running.

Near the right corner of the house was an alcove, connected to the kitchen on the inside and the backyard's grounded patio on the outside, separated from the latter by tall, double French doors and windows made of the finest oak and glass. Sometimes, during the warm seasons, Esme liked to prop the doors open to let a fresh breeze enter the house. The doors were open now. I knew beforehand I would immediately see what I dreaded to; yet, I had been wishing, _pleading_ my vision was wrong. And so my heart still sank to the pit of my stomach the moment my eyes peered in through those doors and saw Bella on her back, legs bent slightly left, chestnut hair splayed across porcelain tile, one arm above her head, the other pointing straight out, a spoon inches from the grasp that once held it. Bella's eyes were shut, her chest was still.

Rosalie was the first to catch up to me. She froze, seeing what I was staring at.

Emmett and Nessie arrived at the same time. It took Nessie a moment to understand what she was looking at, why her mother was laying flat on her back instead of making her dinner.

"Mom?" And then it clicked. "_Mom_!"

"Oh shit," Emmett and Rose cursed together.

Rosalie had already sped into the kitchen after Nessie. She knelt down beside Bella and put a hand on each shoulder, shaking gently, calling out for our sister to respond, with words, with movement, anything at all to tell us she was awake and conscious.

But she wasn't. We were all aware of that. None of us were oblivious to what we were dealing with here, and I wasn't the only one a bit...shaken.

Emmett's head moved, and I looked to see him looking at me. "I don't think it was the deer."

OoOoOoO

"Someone needs to call my dad. Aunt Rose?"

Rosalie held her palms up to Nessie, her head shaking slowly back and forth. "Oh, no, honey. Not me. The last time I phoned Edward regarding your mother, fate was cruel all the way around the circle. Uncle Emmett will call him."

"Just the job I wanted," Emmett grumbled, taking his cell phone out and leaving the room. He might not have wanted to do it, and I sure as heck didn't blame him, but he was the better choice. Rose distributing the information to our overreacting younger brother probably wasn't the best idea in the book, even if Edward had calmed down quite a bit since Nessie was born.

Nessie picked up Bella, with unnecessary help from Rosalie — Renesmee was only half vampire and so her strength did not fully match ours, but she was strong enough to pick one of us up without much effort at all.

"You should take her to her bedroom," I said, seeing they would have put her on the couch. Might as well treat her as we've been treating Jasper.

I beat them to the bedroom and removed some of the excess pillows.

Once Bella was lying down, the panic really begun to sink in. Nessie sat on her knees on the empty side of the bed, holding Bella's hand. She had a gleam in her brown eyes that reminded me of a look Edward sometimes got — a look of desperate determination.

Rosalie leaned forward and brushed strands of hair off Bella's face, and fixed the tangled necklace around her neck that used to be Edward's mother's. I would have done it if I hadn't seen Rose decide to do it.

Emmett walked into the room, then. "So, he hung up on me. I think that means he's on his way. And that he's flipping out. Exactly what I told him not to do."

Some things never changed.

"It won't get any better once he remembers he can't read into Bella's mind the way he can with Jasper," I said.

Everyone's eyes went to Bella again. Her position reminded me of her transformation, when it was completed. The more I stared, the more I expected her eyes to suddenly pop open, bright and red and alert. Awake.

At least with Jasper, we knew exactly what his mind was thinking, knew exactly that he was still...here. Kind of. We wouldn't have that with Bella. Assuming she was reliving memories as well was obviously what we were going to go with, but it was different...not knowing. I hated being unsure, I hated guessing, and I hated that I hadn't _seen_ until the last possible second.

A familiar Mercedes zoomed up the paved road, screeching to a stop just by the porch. Three doors opened and closed.

"We're in your room, Edward," I said, more for Carlisle and Esme. Though they would have simply followed Edward, who could easily see through our minds and pinpoint where we were, I let them know ahead of time anyway.

Rosalie moved away from the bed. I followed her, lining up against the wall with her. She had the right idea — Edward would mow us down if we stayed where we were.

Just as predicted, Edward dashed into the room and was instantly next to Bella.

"What happened?" he demanded.

Carlisle and Esme came in, concern emanating from their expressions.

"Same thing that happened with Jazz," Emmett answered solemnly. "We were all in the garage. Alice saw it..."

"Too late," I added angrily, frustrated.

"Alice ran for the house, and Rose and Ness and I followed. And then..." Emmett trailed off, but I was sure he was showing Edward the memories.

Edward cupped Bella's cheek. He stared at her for thirty seconds, and then his eyebrows knit together. His voice lowered. "I can't read her."

"But it's obvious she's just like Uncle Jasper," Nessie assured. Edward seemed to notice her for the first time. He nodded at her, as if sensing she needed the reassurance more than he did. Then he placed his hand on top of Nessie's and Bella's joined hands.

"We'll bring her back," Edward promised his daughter. "And Uncle Jasper."

My head tilted down, chin almost touching my chest. It felt like the weight of Jasper's unconsciousness had doubled. First my mate, and now one of my best friends. My husband, then my sister.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I knew it was Carlisle's. I probably looked uncharacteristically sad. How terrible.

"What was Bella doing?" Carlisle questioned.

"She was making me dinner." Nessie's eyes started to water. She reached up and wiped at her left one, before narrowing her eyes at Edward. "I told you I could make it myself, but you didn't listen to me."

"Renesmee," Edward said, "it is not your fault."

"I didn't say it was." Well, she probably thought it.

"Do you think it would have been better for any of us if it was you laying on this bed and not your mother?"

"Well..."

"No," Edward answered before she could. "It might have been worse, actually."

"It would have been the same," Nessie said, being more reasonable now.

"How do we even know it had anything to do with cooking your dinner?" Emmett said. "What if it just had to do with...I don't know, Bella?"

"That doesn't make sense, either," Esme said. "Jasper and Bella have nothing the rest of us do not. It had to be timing. Something was triggered, and Bella just happened to be in the wrong place."

Edward agreed with her. "And just like Jasper, Bella was affected. The problem, for us, is Jasper and Bella were doing completely different things when they blacked out. Their stories have nothing in common except the ending."

"There is one thing in common," I argued. "Maybe I'm reaching here, but they were both alone when it happened. Jasper was the only one in the house with Bella, and since he was already out... well, you understand where I'm going."

"That would imply they were targeted," Carlisle said. "Someone would have to be behind this, watching, waiting. Why?"

"And how?" Rosalie huffed, folding her arms and sighing. "It can't be a vampire talent that works through the mind, because Bella's shield would have prevented that from succeeding."

"Rosalie brings up a good point," Edward said. I didn't miss Rosalie's surprise hearing Edward be the one to agree with her. "Nothing can break through Bella's shield. It has to be something else."

"I guess we can cross that off our brainstorm now," Emmett muttered to no one in particular.

"Brainstorm?" Carlisle asked, not understanding.

"We were brainstorming possibilities in the garage," Nessie explained.

Rosalie added, "We don't have anything solid to work with, but...I'm beginning to accept expanding our initial limitations."

A slight grin brought out Emmett's dimples. "You should look it over, Carlisle."

Rosalie rolled her eyes, almost appearing embarrassed, probably from knowing she was the one who wrote all those crazy ideas down, even if she wasn't the one who thought them up.

"Impossible doesn't exist anymore," Edward said suddenly. I didn't know whose thoughts he was inspired by. "We have to try every angle."

_Every angle. _

The future suddenly became crowded.

"No matter what we find out," I started, gaining the spotlight, "Jasper and Bella will still be exactly where they are now in another week." A strained silence filled the room. I continued. "Also, School begins next Monday. We should cancel registration."

"_What_?" Everyone turned to Nessie. She blushed slightly and bowed her head. "Nevermind. Okay."

"I'm sorry, Ness," I said. "I know you were looking forward to going to school for the first time, but we just can't waste time."

"I get it. It doesn't matter."

Of course it did, but part of life was accepting that some things will come along and be more important. I was sure she was understanding that, and how unfortunate it could be.

"I will take care of that," Esme told everybody, putting an arm around Nessie and squeezing gently. "I'll say I've decided to home school you."

Carlisle was nodding. "I may have to resign from the University, as well. As Alice said, there is no time to be wasted, and who knows how long this could last."

I saw it lasting a while, actually. I saw no end. And although they were intangible visions, I saw _it_ would happen again.

Edward glanced at me for a second. Then his eyes moved to Rosalie, then Emmett, then Carlisle, until he took in every face in the room, every person in our family that was still okay. I did, too. By the look on their faces, I knew they were wondering exactly what I was:

Who would be next?


	4. Admitting Fear

**.:CHAPTER THREE:.**

* * *

**~Emmett's POV~**

No doubt about it, they were expecting it — what should I call it—the blackout? — to happen again. Alice must see something, and Edward must see it through her, and now we were all catching on to the looks they were giving us. We weren't all going to make it. Some of us wouldn't see how this ended, at least not firsthand.

"Alice." Carlisle addressed her slowly, cautious. "Do you see who is going to be next?"

Not, _Do you see _if_ this is going to happen again?_ Not, _Do you see who _might_ be next?_ He asked who she saw was _going_ to be next.

Great.

Alice shook her head while lifting her shoulders. "All I know is more of us are going to end up just like Jasper and Bella. I can't see the faces clearly enough. It's a blur of features — light, dark, long, or short hair; arms slimmer or thicker than others; nothing really clear or specific. The faces I see are blurry, unrecognizable, and they change quickly, undecided. Just a bunch of spinning heads. Like I'm playing the slot machines at a casino. Who knows what'll happen? But there is one thing that feels off. The people I'm seeing... When I say I know more of us are going to end up like Jasper and Bella, I mean more of _us_. More vampires."

"When?"

"Now, Carlisle. Something is happening, and it's happening now. It's coming."

An eerie silence followed. Something churned inside me, spreading unease throughout. Frightening me wasn't easy, but... And I'd never admit this out loud, but I think I felt it now. Felt that fear. Felt like I was trapped in a stone corridor and spiked walls were closing in on me. Though, logically, in a more literal scenario of that analogy I'd be able to easily free myself by punching through the stone, I figured maybe this was different. Maybe this was something I hadn't felt since I was human. Or that time when Edward went off to Volterra like an idiot, and I was helpless, unable to do anything for him. Yeah, that was the fear I was feeling again. No other obstacles compared.

Six years ago. Victoria's newborn army? That was exciting.

The threat of the werewolves during Bella's pregnancy? I could've handled that.

The Volturi face off? That was easy. I was ready for it, accepting, prepared.

A total blackout caused by unknown, invisible forces, that seemed to be spreading across the globe somehow, according to Alice, and was inevitably going to infect us all? How could I fight that? How could I protect Rose and my family from something like that? What was I supposed to do?

Something close to a whine came out of Nessie's mouth. Her composed expression was too forced. She was scared. More than scared — she was terrified. But she was trying not to let any of us know that.

"We will stop this, Renesmee," Edward vowed.

"Not in time," she said quietly. "Not before more of us..."

"You don't have to be afraid. Maybe...whatever this is can't affect you."

Now there was a thought. If this blackout was only happening to vampires, Ness was only half, and might possibly be spared. But then, what if she was the _only_ one spared, in the end.

"_What_? Can't affect me?" Nessie's voice rose, almost angrily. "How can you say that?"

"It could be the case, Renesmee. I thought—"

"You always think I'm scared, right? I wasn't worried about _me_. And now you're saying that if you, and Aunt Rose, and Grandma Esme, and every single one of you fall unconscious, I might be the only one left? Well, thanks a lot. Thanks for that image, _Edward_!"

Alice and I shared a knowing look. Then I leaned back on my heels and folded my arms over my chest, wishing I was anywhere but in this room right now.

Renesmee was almost physically fully grown, and her mind had always been exceptional. But she had her moments. She was able to learn and pick stuff up quickly and easily as a half-vampire child, yet she was still very inexperienced in life, being only six years old...technically. She wasn't in full control of her emotional range yet. Plus, she had been at that awkward teenager stage for the past couple of years, and, even though she'd been leaving the awkward part behind recently, boy, did she have a temper. Just like her dad, if you asked me. It was total payback. Most of the time I found it amusing; just not the times you could tell it really hurt Edward. I didn't know what it was like to be a father, but I could imagine no parent liked to upset their children, and although it was an inevitable part of parenting, Renesmee was always _very_ upset when she called Edward by his first name. I mean, we've been having her practice calling Edward and Bella by their names more frequently now, in order to get her used to it for when we started school (which would now be postponed, thank God), but when she said his name in that tone of hers... well, it always sounded vicious. She probably picked up that particular sass from my wife. I knew Edward hated it.

Edward closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. By the look of him, I think he was actually more upset about the possibility of Nessie being on her own, rather than by what she called him. Was it really that bad of an idea, though?

Esme broke the short silence. "Renesmee, dear, it is an alarming scenario, but it is also possible. And none of us want to see that happen. Your father, especially."

"I know that! I just..." Looking like she wanted to run, Nessie shoved herself off the bed. Her feet landed in the pile of the extra pillows from the bed. Apparently frustrated by this, Nessie huffed, stepped off them, and kicked one hard across the room. It hit my legs.

"Renesmee Cullen," Rose admonished. It was kinda funny how Rose usually left the disciplinarian duties, rightfully, to Edward and Bella, except when it came to Nessie's outbursts. Rose couldn't help herself then, because Rose hated Edward's old temper tantrums more than anybody, and she'd be damned if she had to deal with repeats from his daughter.

Nessie stared at where the pillow landed, then up at me. A slight shade of pink was visible on her alabaster cheeks. Embarrassed by her behavior, I figured. Happened to the best of us.

"I'm sorry," Nessie sighed after a moment, to no one in particular. She sat on her knees next to Edward, on the floor, and wrapped her arms around him.

Edward kissed the top of her head. "I know."

"Look," I said, "that's not even a bad thing to hope for. Say Ness does end up alone — at least she can't be affected, right? At least time won't ever run out for her. At least, no matter what happens to the rest of us, the family as a whole won't ever be taken down completely, because Ness will still be in the game."

"We don't want it to come down to that," Edward said, glaring at me.

"Of course we don't," I agreed. Hell, I didn't plan on blacking out. "But if it does comes down to it, it's a good thing we have someone who can't be rendered useless."

"So...I'd be the last hope."

"You don't have to be anything," Edward told Nessie, narrowing his eyes at me again. I didn't know what his problem was.

Edward responded to my thoughts.

"Renesmee doesn't need that responsibility placed on her shoulders."

"She might have to have it anyway," Alice said. _The Glare_ moved to her; she only raised an eyebrow at him. "Not just Nessie. Any one of us could end up in that position."

"I don't wish it on anybody's shoulders," Carlisle said, his eyes moving around the room again. "It is not something we have to dwell on now, however. When the time comes," his eyes moved to Edward specifically, though I didn't understand why, "I trust you all to know what to do. Or find out."

His gaze lingered on my brother, and I wondered what he was thinking. Probably some parental advice or something. Who knew? All I cared about, now, was figuring out what was causing this vampire unconsciousness and finding a way to stop it.

"What's the verdict on the animal blood?" I asked Carlisle, Esme, and Edward. They got home pretty fast after I called Edward. I hoped they didn't rush home before they attained all the information they needed. Even if it was obvious nothing should be weird about the animals in the area if Bella wasn't hunting when she passed out, but I figured I'd ask.

"We tested it all to completion," Edward answered. "No irregularities."

"That's what I thought. At least it wasn't in our food source, right? Denying us that would have been bad in the longer...scheme of things." I almost messed up what I was saying when I caught a small smile on Rose. It disappeared the moment I saw it, at the same time Rose looked away from me. She was always doing that — turning away when some emotion crossed her face that she didn't want me to see.

"But we still don't have a lead—" Edward was saying, until Alice interrupted.

"Wait!" she gasped. Her left hand reached out to stop us (from doing what—who knew?) and her right hand went to her head. "Wait, wait, wait!"

"What, Alice?" Rose demanded.

"Carlisle can't give up his teaching position just yet."

When she didn't continue, I said, "Reason being...?"

"He was thinking of going to the University tomorrow to resign," Edward said, not answering my question at all. Who was he even talking to?

"I was toying with the idea of holding off until the middle of the week, though," Carlisle said. "There is something I want to look up in their library, and, if I am remembering correctly, it may be in the restricted section. My status will assist me with that."

Alice nodded. "Yes. I think so. Go to the library tomorrow. I don't know how yet, but when you decided to head there, something changed."

"Please tell me it changed in a good way," I said.

"Obviously."

"He'll have to go by himself," Esme muttered.

"It will be fine," Alice promised. "We're not even sure if being alone matters."

"It is a long shot it would," Carlisle said, resting a hand on Esme's shoulder. "I am not ruling out that we are being targeted; however, if they wanted to affect us all, it would be more logical to induce the sleep while we are together. Whether or not a physical entity is behind this is also up for debate. If this phenomenon is occurring merely to others of our kind, all across the globe, perhaps its existence is a natural accident. If we think about it, it formed quietly, struck unexpectedly, and at the moment we know nothing about it other than its symptoms. If it is spreading slowly at first, soon to speed up and gain numerous victims..."

"Then it sounds exactly like a virus," Edward finished. "A disease."

Nessie's eyes widened. "Like a vampire sickness?"

"So much for being immortal," I said. Not that anybody was dying from it. Yet... I quickly threw that thought away before I accidentally spoke it out loud and freaked people out. Edward threw me a relieved look for it, too.

"It's improbable enough without necessarily being impossible." Rose eyed me and Nessie. "It stretches our realistic limitations without being ridiculous."

"Oh, it falls under the same category as sleep-paralysis, and you know it," I said, earning a hidden grin from my niece.

"Of course," Carlisle continued, finger on his chin, brain stirring with possible answers to a riddle so unknown we didn't even know what the question was, "if it was indeed a type of evolved virus, it would need a way to travel. Not by touch, obviously, as most of us would be affected by now if that was the case, and neither Jasper nor Bella could have contracted it that way. If it's in the air, why are the rest of us still standing? It makes the virus theory less likely."

I shrugged. "Or the rest of us are just luckier. Not all humans catch a cold just because they come into contact with someone with a cold, right?"

"Do we have immune systems that work in a similar fashion?" Esme wondered.

"That's a good question," Carlisle said. "All the centuries I've been alive, I have never encountered anything like this. I'm not certain Aro, or even Stefan and Vladimir would have any clue what this was."

"Well, we will all have to find out or blackout trying," Alice whispered.

The room was silent again, lost in the eeriness that was Alice's specialty.

"We'll need to focus on the details," Carlisle declared suddenly. "There's a connection in Jasper's and Bella's cases, and we need to find out what that is. Renesmee, Alice, replay exactly what happened when you found Bella.

"Emmett and Rosalie, would you mind going back to the location of Jasper's blackout and searching for smaller details that we might not have thought about before, linking them to Bella's scene?"

Alone in the woods with Rose? Circumstances or not, I didn't see a problem with that.

Rose glanced at me and grinned. Seductive.

"We don't mind at all," I said.

OoOoOoO

The woods were dark and quiet, except for the nocturnal creatures that were scattered around. It smelled like damp pine, though there was no mist tonight. I led Rose through the forest, until we came across the spot I had found Alice screaming over an unconscious Jasper.

Rose continued walking until she stepped off the leafy floor and onto the paved street.

"He was awfully close to the road," she noted. "What street is this?"

"6th Avenue, I think." I knew what she was thinking. "Its traffic is decent. It's a main road, though not as busy in this particular area."

Rose was instantly scolding me. "What were you three doing hunting this close to a road? You could have slipped, killed someone. You could have exposed us."

"We weren't this close... I mean, I was a good mile that direction," I said, pointing. "Jasper must've ran this far."

"A mile isn't that much of a difference when hunting," Rose argued, still mad at me. That was all I needed.

"You still love me, right?"

I watched Rose's gold eyes lift, then roll to the side. I'd take that as an obvious_ Yes_.

"What kind of question is that?"

"I plan to undress you in the next couple of minutes, so I had to check."

"You must be joking." Rose sashayed across the road, until she reached the tree standing farthest away from the rest of the forest. She placed her hands on the bark and spun around it, so she was facing me again, half covered. At first, she was glaring. Then she raised an eyebrow and said, "You're seriously going to make me wait a couple of minutes?"

I smiled fully, licking my teeth. She ran, and I pursued.

Fifteen seconds later, there was a trail of torn clothes behind us, and Rose was pinned against me, skin on skin.

I didn't know what was wrong with me, but my thoughts weren't usually very coherent when I was with Rose like this, and yet, this time, I couldn't stop imagining her eyes shutting and never reopening, her body collapsing and left dangling in my arms. Blacked out. Fast and unstoppable and unexpected. Like Jasper. Like Bella. I'd act like Alice and Edward had, and we'd subtract one from our numbers. Our search for answers would continue, and we'd never truly know if we'd ever get anything, if we'd ever wake Rose or the others up.

Rosalie's lips pulled off mine. "Don't be afraid," she whispered, catching me off guard. I almost wanted to stop what we were doing and tell her I wasn't _afraid_. Not _exactly_. But then she pulled me back under her spell, deeper this time. I never wanted her to let me go. So instead of saying anything, I continued kissing her. I didn't always know what to say to Rose. But I loved her, so I showed her.

OoOoOoO

It was slightly after dawn, and the forest was gray and cloudy. We could have stayed a little longer tangled up together, but Rose wasn't trusting those dark clouds up in the sky. For all the years we've spent living and visiting rainy areas all over the world, she sure hated getting her hair wet. I didn't even understand it. Her hair was gorgeous whether it was shining in sunlight or glittering with raindrops. Or like it was now, ruffled and filled with leaves.

I grinned.

Carlisle was gone when we got back to the house. Apparently, he didn't want to hear what we discovered.

"More like he didn't want to be here to see you two dressed like that," Alice remarked scornfully when I mentioned Carlisle's absence out loud. The little psychic was sitting on the porch steps, iPad in hand, scrunching her nose up at us.

"Ah, there's the Alice we all know and love," Rose said, patting Alice's head as we passed her.

Esme greeted us when we walked through the front door, though she was refusing to look at us in this state. "Carlisle wanted to get to the school's library as early as he could," she explained.

"He'll be back soon enough," Edward said dismissively. "What did you find that's so important?"

"Nothing, really," I answered.

Edward grimaced, shook his head, and walked away.

"But we could've had something. Besides, Bella's kitchen scene was completely different than Jasper's. It's not surprising nothing matches."

Esme sighed. "What could possibly be happening? I hope Carlisle has more luck than we've had so far today."

"Don't we all," I said, following Rose to our room.

As I cleaned up, my thoughts kept drifting back to my time with Rose last night. With nothing here to distract me, I had time to think about everything I didn't want to. We had checked the area better before we headed home, and the details Carlisle was hoping for were nonexistent. Nothing had changed from the last couple times I went looking there, so I hadn't set my expectations very high. It had to be a kind of virus. If it wasn't another vampire, how else was this getting around? Jasper was in the middle of drinking deer blood; Bella was in the middle of getting something out of the microwave. The two did not connect any way you looked at it.

Once dressed, I left Rose to do her thing. She was still picking out what to wear. Women.

I didn't know where I was walking to. Didn't know what I planned on doing. Something Rose said last night was bothering me, though.

_Don't be afraid._

Did I look afraid to her? How did I give off that impression? I didn't say anything. I didn't do anything. Hell, her mouth was all over me and her eyes weren't exactly concentrated on my face, so how did she notice I wasn't in sync with her. Maybe it was just that — I wasn't in sync with her.

Still, I couldn't help wondering if maybe she was right.

My feet took me into Alice and Jasper's room. Jasper lied there, as unmoving and unchanged as ever. It was obvious why I had come to find him, even if it was subconscious.

The blacking out that was happening would eventually become The Blackout. An epidemic. Hundreds of vampires infected. We couldn't see it, we couldn't feel it, we couldn't stop it. It just came and wiped you out, trapping you in infinite memories. It was weird as much as it was shocking.

Rosalie was strong and amazing. I didn't worry about her too much. She could take care of herself, and I never truly forget that. But could she fight against this? _Should_ I be worried now? I guessed I was worrying whether I wanted to or not, but...it felt stronger than that. It wasn't just for Rose, either. I didn't think I could handle watching my family, one-by-one, fall into a sleep they couldn't wake up from. Or what if they had to watch over me?

My stomach churned again, and I cursed.

Rose might not seem afraid of anything, let alone by something we couldn't exactly fight right now, but maybe she should be. There was no doubt about it anymore — the situation was kind of intimidating, even if I hated admitting that.

Jasper remained still. I knew what he would say if he was awake right now. Even if I wasn't in the same room as him, he'd come to me, and he'd say, "Scared?"

I would shrug, responding with, "No man is fearless, right?"

Then he'd smile, all southern like (if a smile could be southern), and he'd put his hands in his pockets just like he always did.

"I'm right there with you," he'd say. And I would feel comforted, knowing I wasn't alone.

"You're not alone," came another voice.

_Edward._

My youngest brother stood by the doorway. I was so distracted I hadn't heard him coming. That was off.

"You're not alone," Edward repeated. "We're all feeling the same emotions right now."

"Maybe."

"Even Rosalie."

I chuckled. That was hard for me to imagine, even if I was well aware it wasn't impossible for Rose to be frightened. I'd seen her terrified beyond belief once. That had been terrible.

"It's only natural to be afraid," Edward continued.

"You're starting to sound like Carlisle."

He rolled his eyes, more like the Edward I was used to. I knew he had been getting that statement a lot recently. It wasn't our fault; it was more true than Edward realized. He couldn't see the changes like we could. It was strange watching Edward become a father, a dad to Ness. It made him calmer, and the role suited him somehow. Like Carlisle. All the years I'd known Edward as a brother, I never would have guessed he had it in him.

"Anyway, there is nothing natural about _me_ being...afraid. There, I said it."

"I am glad you successfully passed the denial stage," Edward said, sarcastic now.

"It took some work, too," I joked.

This was exactly the reason I preferred Jasper as company in these moments, as weird as that thought was. Jasper was a man of few words (a good thing when you didn't want to talk about it), and what he did say was usually exactly what you wanted or needed to hear. He was really good at that. At comforting, at relating. Edward wasn't.

"Sorry."

I laughed at Edward's unnecessary apology.

"There's nothing to be sorry about." And there wasn't. I wasn't hating on the kid. Edward was the brother I usually talked to. It was just a fact that Jasper was a master of emotions. He knew exactly what to say, because he knew exactly how you felt. Edward could read your mind, he could read your thoughts, your feelings, your reasoning behind those feelings, but he didn't have to feel if he didn't want to, and sometimes being able to read your reasoning would make empathizing impossible. He could see your reason and only feel confusion, because it wasn't something he could relate to, even knowing how upset it made you. He could sympathize only, and sometimes that just wasn't enough for you.

Jasper, on the other hand, didn't have to worry about reasoning your feelings in his head. Your emotions were his emotions, plain and simple. Unlike the rest of us, he didn't need a story. The cause for the emotions didn't need to be addressed for him to understand. Being empathetic of your problems came automatically to him, and there was absolutely no doubt he understood what you were feeling. That was why Jasper was easiest to talk to...when my feelings were involved. I wasn't good at expressing them otherwise, nor did I like to. And Edward wasn't any better than I was.

"Huh, Rosalie's been right all these years — you're more perceptive than I ever give you credit for."

I laughed again. "Thanks, man. I know you've known it all along, though."

He grinned crookedly.

"And don't worry. You're not all that bad. It's..." _It's always nice to know your not alone. Even for me._

"Yes. Even though it sure feels like it sometimes, doesn't it?" Edward's grin was gone. He wasn't looking at me or Jasper. His eyes were staring out the door. But there was nobody standing there.

_Hey, do me a favor, okay? _

Edward looked back at me.

_Don't blackout. _

He smiled. "Same to you." He clapped me on the back and left the room. The only thing that bugged me was the fear in his smile.

_Fear is one of the worst emotions, Jazz,_ I thought. Fucking terrible. I refused to feel it. And I know what you'd say to that, too. You'd tell me to overcome it or some shit. Well, the only thing you could do to fight fear was to never give in. So count on that.

* * *

**~Carlisle's POV~**

The library was still empty as I made my way to Julie, the librarian. She gave me a flattering wink, and gave me absolutely no trouble about checking out a restricted book. My popular status was one thing; my looks were another, and Julie was a flirtatious one, indeed. Persistent, too. How many times had I made it clear I was a happily married man with wonderful children? More times than even I could count, it would seem. She was a kind woman, though, as well. In all honesty, she reminded me of a human Tanya. Sweet, but eager. At least her attraction to me would assist today.

What I was checking out was more of a file. I remembered reading about this years ago. I had no idea it would come back like this, that it would turn into this threat. It was all in here. This was what we were looking for. This was our first lead, of that I was sure. It had to be. And at the same time, I wished it wasn't. I was confident this was it, and that made our situation much more dangerous than we had previously believed.


	5. Disturbing Discoveries

**Hello again. Thank you so much for the reviews! Really, you're all wonderful. :) I hope you like this chapter (and all to come).**

* * *

**.:CHAPTER FOUR:.**

* * *

**~Rosalie's POV~**

All these ideas were getting us nowhere. That's what happened — you get into a problem, you see that it's really complicated, and you come up with all these convoluted solutions. In reality, you need a good dose of luck more than anything else.

Renesmee and Emmett were seated on the ends of the couch, while I sat between them, crossing and uncrossing my legs. A nervous habit. Alice stood just off to the side of us, tapping her chin. All our eyes were on Edward, as he paced back and forth in front of us. I realized our human mannerisms were getting too good; they've become a part of us, instinctual, like we _were_ human. Carlisle would probably_ love_ that.

"Nothing's the same," Edward said suddenly. "Nothing. What are we supposed to be seeing?"

We had spent the past thirty minutes brainstorming again, and had wandered to connecting anything from Jasper's scene to Bella's. It was pointless, and we all knew it. It was too difficult to compare the two.

"I hate to even say it," I said, "but if we had a third scenario it would probably help."

"That's the last thing we want."

"I'm only saying."

"How long are we going to go over the same stuff?" Emmett ran his hands down his face, cursing, frustrated. He had been acting a bit off lately. The stress was affecting him, though I could see how hard he was trying to stay optimistic and happy, for me, for Esme, for Ness, for everyone. I ran my hand down his bare arm, securing his hand to mine. He smiled at me, gorgeous dimples and all.

"Carlisle will be here soon," Alice assured us. "He just hung up with Esme... Or rather she hung up." She paused, looking at Edward, who in turn had halted his pacing.

Carlisle had called Esme not even a couple minutes ago. Edward informed us that Carlisle had found what he was looking for quite easily, but he had also, apparently, warned Esme that the discovery was slightly disturbing. I didn't think I wanted to know what that meant. The quicker Carlisle got here, the better. We didn't need anymore mysteries on our hands.

In the quiet of the room, I could hear that Esme was still in Carlisle's study, talking.

"_Oh, no. Has anyone else...?_"

"Who is she talking to?" Emmett asked Edward, stating the question that was roaming through my head, as well.

"Carmen Denali. She called while Esme was on the phone with Carlisle. It was why she had to hang up on him." Worry creased his forehead. "It's just like you said, Alice — we're not the only ones dealing with this."

My head snapped up. The Denali's? "Who's a victim?"

"Eleazar and Kate."

I took a moment to process that. "Do they know anything?"

"No. They're as clueless as we are."

"This could help," I said carefully, after a moment. "We needed one more black out case in order to compare Jasper's and Bella's properly."

Emmett agreed with me, then asked, "What were Eleazar and Kate doing right before they were—"

"Affected? Good question." Edward started walking upstairs as he spoke. "Esme, can you ask Carmen..." His voice trailed off. His foot paused hovering over the next step. He leaned backwards slightly, hand gliding off the railing, head rolling back. For a second, I thought he was blacking out.

Emmett jumped to his feet, probably thinking what I was, ready to catch our brother if he fell backwards.

There was a sharp thud from above us, and Edward was suddenly moving again, sprinting to the second story. Confused, I listened as his footsteps went through the house. They stopped once he reached where I estimated the study was.

"Esme... Can you hear me? Please, Esme."

It couldn't be.

I looked at Alice for answers. She was staring off into space, her eyes rounder than usual. She was murmuring to herself, over and over again.

"This is not good. This is not good. This is not good."

Forget it. I dashed up to the study. Edward was on the ground, on his knees. His attention was on Esme, lying motionless on her side, waves of soft brown hair hung over her face, covering her eyes. The only light coming into the room was through the window, shining against Esme's back just enough to cast shadows that crept along the carpet, reaching for me, and for Edward — shadows that had already claimed Esme. With her eyes covered in the way they were, her shadowed face appeared ominous.

Edward collected Esme's cell and the battery that had flown off after hitting the ground, while I carried Esme to her bed. The house was turning into a hospital of sorts; nearly every bed was taken.

I hated the fact Esme had been next. I wasn't prepared to lose my mother. She had been the only constant in this life for me, from the very beginning. I had imagined it yesterday — imagined every member of this family being lost and how I might feel about that. I couldn't have imagined it would feel this awful losing Esme, who was more than just a mother to me; aside from Emmett, she was my best friend.

"Carmen blacked out."

I met Edward's gaze. "What?"

"Carmen. Alice is seeing it, seeing Tanya and Garrett hovering over Carmen. She blacked out."

Esme had been on the phone with Carmen.

"That can't be a coincidence," Edward continued. His tone made it sound like he thought I was missing the obvious point, and I wanted to smack him.

"No. Obviously it can't," I agreed, throwing the same tone back in his face.

Emmett and Renesmee appeared in the room. I distinguished Alice's footsteps right behind them, quick and lithe. Emmett opened his mouth, then closed it, only to open it again.

"Esme's out?"

My response came out sharper than I intended it to. "What do you think?"

Emmett knew me. Knew not to take anything personal when it came out of my mouth when I was upset. And I was upset. Far more upset than I had been with Jasper or Bella. Not that I did not care for my siblings; merely, they had been first to fall victim, and so they had been less of a loss simply because there was still a lot of us to protect them, to help them. After Bella, panic had...escalated; with Esme, I felt its consequences.

A mutter of trepidation came from Renesmee's lips. Her brow puckered on its own, in the same way Bella's always had; Renesmee was completely unaware of it. I moved away from Esme to let my niece through to her grandmother. Nobody reassured her it would be alright. A part of me wanted to, but the other part didn't know exactly how to, and so it blamed Edward, the father, for not saying anything.

Edward was busy rolling Esme's cell in his hands, inspecting it like it held answers.

Perhaps it did.

Suddenly, Edward's entire body went rigid.

"Phone," Alice shrieked. "I need a phone!" I watched, perplexed, as she scrambled, almost maniacally, for the one in Edward's hand. Emmett was shoved out of the way; a flower vase toppled, clinking against its corner table, but not breaking; a large floral tapestry ruffled in the breeze of Alice's speed. By the time she reached Edward, she stopped mid-reach for the phone, and bowed her head on his arm, instead.

"Oh, it's too late, it's too late." Her whine trailed off, defeated.

I was frozen, trying to comprehend it all.

What had just happened?

Edward finally moved. Blinked.

"No, Alice... No." He was shaking his head, as if trying to prove whatever she was thinking was false.

But she was nodding hers. And she looked up slowly, at Edward. She said nothing, and her eyes did not widen again; instead, they looked sad. Like this was it. Like it was already over.

"It's too late. It's already happened."

"What—"

Emmett cut himself off when a low growl started to rumble in Edward's chest. It stopped as immediately as it had started. He tossed the cell phone onto the bed with too much force. It bounced off and found itself, once again, in two pieces on the floor. Edward didn't care. He marched out the door, with one final word.

"Shit."

Did my brother just cuss in front of his daughter? That never, and I mean _never_ happened. Renesmee's shocked expression was proof of that. I might not be Alice, but my intuition was saying Esme and Carmen were part of the prelude.

I debated whether to go after Edward or not, before he got too far ahead. As much as I didn't want to, I managed to get more answers out of him than Alice, usually...

"Help him, Rose," Alice said, deciding it for me.

What was with everybody telling me what to do all of a sudden? Regarding Edward, no less. _Call Edward. Go after Edward. Help Edward._ Oh, sure, just what I wanted. Just what _Edward_ wanted; though he had no one but himself to blame sometimes for the way I (mis)treated him. By the sound of Alice's voice, however, I could tell her worry was out in full force, so I didn't argue. There was basically no point, so I ran off after my dear brother. But nobody better get used to us cooperating so much.

Through the forest I followed him. I caught up easily enough, and I could tell he was anxious by his silence. We wove effortlessly through the stretch of trees with great haste. Edward turned north, heading for the fork in the road that nobody but my family ever turned left on, because it was a long, isolated path that lead only to the Cullen home.

However, human civilization never came, for we didn't make it that far.

Just as I was wondering what we were after, the answer came, shocking me.

Only a few yards from the busy intersection — busy for this town, anyway — Carlisle's black Mercedes was lodged between two trees, the front end of the car jammed into a third. The radio hummed, low and gurgled; whatever song was playing was muffled with static. In the driver's seat, Carlisle was slumped against the inflated airbag. He wasn't moving, wasn't breathing, and his eyes were closed. To anyone outside of the family, it would look like he was dead. It clearly wasn't the case, but...then again, it was obvious what had happened, and maybe it was just as bad.

Edward had to tear off the driver's side door in order to get it open. He ripped off Carlisle's seat belt and slammed it into the ground, revealing the frustration that was mutual in me.

We weren't supposed to lose Carlisle. Especially not after the loss of Esme. How did we manage to lose two of us in one day? _These_ two, _consecutively_?

Edward grimaced, eyes sparking. He didn't comment on my thoughts, though I knew he was listening. I guessed he was as furious as I was.

After peering around for a moment, inspecting the scene as we had all the others, and getting a grip on himself, Edward slid Carlisle out of the seat and into his arms.

"We'll discuss it with the others when we get back." He then, with his head, gestured to the smashed vehicle. "Take the car. We're safe from human eyes on this road."

Yes, sir, I wanted to say, dripping every ounce of sarcasm into it as I could.

But the thought stayed a thought, and I freed the once beautiful Mercedes S55 AMG — I had a lot of damage to repair when this was all over — and lifted it above my head.

In a matter of seconds we were back at the house, in Carlisle and Esme's room, Edward placing Carlisle next to his wife. It could be thought of as fortunate, I supposed, that neither had to deal with the unconsciousness of their mate. Lucky them.

As for us, the blackouts had happened so fast, leaving us no room to breathe, no time to think. One minute we're getting our hopes up, and the next our hopes were being crushed into oblivion. Mocking us. Taunting us. Reminding us that we are not gaining any advantage any time soon.

And, yet, we were supposed to have that. We had put some semblance of hope on Carlisle's discovery.

I folded my arms across my chest and leaned on one foot, trying not to show the uncertainty I was feeling. "I don't suppose you knew what Carlisle was going to tell us, Edward? Alice?"

Not one response. Just facial reactions that made my stomach drop.

"This sucks," Renesmee whispered, still standing at Esme's bedside. "What are we supposed to do now? Grandpa Carlisle had the answers, didn't he? You said he did. He was supposed to explain what he found. Now we have nothing again."

"Not necessarily," I said, seeing Esme's cell phone still broken on the floor, and wanting to reassure Renesmee. "I don't know about Carlisle, but Esme and Carmen blacked out at the same time. On the phone together. There is a connection there."

"Are you saying being on the phone is now dangerous?" Emmett inquired. It was a curious thought, and not very reassuring. If we had to stay away from making any calls — limiting in itself — what else did we have to avoid?

Nobody answered Emmett's question. He didn't seem to care. His eyes were on Alice. She was somewhere else again; physically present, but her mind was in a time yet to happen. When she came back to reality, she turned, stated we needed to search Carlisle's care, and left the room, walking with purpose. Edward was right on her heels, and Emmett on his. Renesmee gave me a look, glanced back at Carlisle and Esme, then took my hand and lead me outside with the others.

The first thing I notice is the strange absence of wind. It was breezy just moments before, but the sky has darkened and the air was still. It made me feel even more unsettled than I already did. It was too calm for our turbulent circumstances.

Edward and Alice were already rummaging through the car. Emmett took in the damage of the Mercedes with a shake of his head.

"What are you looking for?" Renesmee questioned, opening one of the back doors and hopping inside.

"The book Carlisle checked out from the library."

"Are you sure he checked it out?" I asked.

Alice was.

"What book was it?" All I remembered was that Carlisle thought it was probably restricted. It must be interesting, whatever it was. And if it gave him an answer to what was going on, it was doubly important we find it.

"I'm not sure," Alice said, kicking the beaten up dashboard in the car until the glove compartment popped open. "Something about...articles, and supernatural test subjects. That's all I could make out."

That sounded strange. It wasn't what I was expecting to hear.

"Anyway, that's all I could make out. I know it will help us, though."

"Carlisle was sure it would, so it must," Edward murmured. He had found Carlisle's black bag and was sifting through it.

It didn't sound like my siblings had their mind open to the possibility that Carlisle could be wrong. It had just been a hunch on his part. I didn't really believe he was, but...I was beginning to feel a minor dose of paranoia. Another blackout could happen at any minute, and now it was proven that it did not have to happen to just one person at a time. We could all go. Just like that.

"Hey, I found something," Renesmee said. I could barely see her. She was on all fours in the back, one arm under under the passenger side seat in front of her. When she sat up, there was a decent sized book in her hand. Its covering was white, with gold lettering on the front that I couldn't make out from this angle.

"_Records of Supernatural Science_," she read, tucking a loose curl behind her ear.

"Let me see."

Edward took the book and opened to the first page. As he read, skimming through the pages he deemed insignificant, I thought about what the title of the book could mean. It seemed straightforward; the book was about records, and the records were on the subject of supernatural science. I have never heard of supernatural sciences or any study concerning it. But I could still take a guess about what it involved.

"Daddy, there's something else under here."

Renesmee pulled out a piece of paper from under the seat and held it up to read. A post-it note was stuck to the top of it. Alice peered over her shoulder, brow scrunching.

"The name of the book is written here, in Carlisle's handwriting. With the number 52."

"It could be a page number," I suggested.

Edward was instantly flipping to somewhere near the middle of the book. A few seconds of reading time was all he needed, for his eyes widened briefly; then they narrowed, hardening.

"I figured out what Carlisle was going to tell us."

All eyes were on him.

Emmett and I spoke together when he didn't continue on his own.

"_And_?"

"This isn't a natural caused phenomenon. Our species is under attack."


End file.
